Every King Needs a Queen
by Lady of Life and Death
Summary: Alai is a thief and she's good and Bakura knows it. Is this thief good enough to melt the hatred around the Thief King's heart and steal it? Rated Mature for violence and sexual content.
1. Fire and Holy Gold

Every King Needs a Queen

Chapter 1: Fire and Holy Gold

Story and character Alai by Lady of Life and Death.

The character Sheba is by Francheska Arroyo.

All Yu-Gi-Oh characters belong to the writer of Yu-Gi-Oh.

Historical characters belonging to History itself.

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_No one can control who they are fated to be with. For some reason the stars always know. When I first met my beloved, I felt only anger. Slowly the love grew for him and rooted itself so deeply, I feel it even now in Death's lands. And I know he too felt it, deep and beautiful and one of the most powerful feelings he'd ever experienced. Our souls are intertwined and forever connected, destinies that will meet over and over in years to come and this is just one story of such a thing happening…_

…………

"Alai! Take Sheba and run!" her older brother Wati, yelled. His dark eyes were full of worry and fear for his two sisters, both who were younger than him. He unsheathed his two daggers, both which had a red ruby set in the hilt, and stood between them and the doorway. Alai, the second oldest and only three years younger than her eighteen-year-old brother, grabbed her sister's wrist and pulled her to the back of the room. Both girls opened the hidden trap door, Sheba going down first. Alai turned back before heading down, frightened for her brother and hearing the shouts of the guards as their parents fought them back.

"Brother!" she cried, "Let me stay and fight!" She pulled out matching daggers, identical to her brother's, and made an attempt to run by his side. He turned and pointed at the trap door.

"GO!" he yelled. She stopped abruptly and headed back. The door slammed down over her and her sister's heads just as the heard a woman's scream and a man's yell of anguish. Sheba held in her smaller hands a torch that flicked in the closed space of the tunnel. Alai took her other hand and took off at a run.

"Come, sister," she whispered. "We'll help them as soon as we get out." She bit her lip to hold back the tears trying to leak their way out of her eyes. Sheba already was crying. They ran for a long time, the tunnel stretching on what seemed miles.

They reached a seemingly dead end finally with ruts dug out of the dirt. Sheba held the torch up towards the ceiling, illuminating the shadow of a small circle. Alai climbed a few of the ruts and pushed up on the circle. It swung open to reveal the starry night sky and the light of the full moon. On further inspection, they were near a beautiful waterfall and a small lake. The Oasis of Thieves as their family's guild called it. All houses with a member in the guild had a tunnel that led to this very oasis.

"Put out and save the torch, Sheba," Alai whispered. She finished climbing up and helped Sheba up once she'd stuck the torch in the dirt to extinguish the flame. After brushing off her sister, Alai grabbed her hand and dashed in the direction of their family's small house. Looking into the sky, they saw a deep, black smoke clogging the air and blotting out the sky. '_No!'_ she cried in her mind. _'Let them still live!'_

By the time the two girls came to the edge of the Oasis forest, the saw the little house, built just on the edge, burning. Alai's eyes widened and tears burst forth, streaming and making runs in her dirt smudged cheeks. Sheba let out a wail and made a dash for the burning building. Alai tackled her sister and held her down.

"N-no Sh-Sheba!" she whispered, sobbing. "W-w-we can't… Th-Th-They're… gone…" She closed her eyes and gripped her sister in a tight hug. The two girls sat on their knees, sobbing and watching as their home, the place where they were born and raised to that point, burned and consumed the bodies of their mother, father, and beloved brother.

"Why have gods punished us so, big sister?" sobbed Sheba. She latched her arms around Alai's neck, seeking as much comfort as she could manage.

"I don't know, Sheba," she whispered. "I just don't know…

…………

_Five Years Later_

Barely any of the people in the town took notice of two strangers entering the only tavern in town. Besides, they had money and looked like they had more to spare. In the older, dusty tavern, they picked the table farthest away from everyone and sat there. Drawing away their hoods, they revealed themselves to be two women of exceptional beauty. Both had long dark hair they pulled out from under the hoods, only the elder of the two kept her hair trimmed in a straight line. Where the elder also wore three gold choker rings around her neck, the younger wore one, but left an appealing show of her neck.

After ordering their food, Sheba whispered eagerly, "So, where are we going to hit tonight?" Alai tossed a simpler dagger, more or less a knife really, and glanced around the room.

"No where little sister," she said. "Although a trip to worship the Goddess Hathor in her temple may be good." She grinned and winked at her sister. "I must keep my little sister educated in the gods!" Sheba blinked, and then grinned back. The barman came over and set a plate in front of them and they both dug in.

…………

The young priestess didn't know her heart could feel so full or her body. As her white-haired bed partner arose and started to dress, she reached out and barely skimmed his back with the tips of her fingers. He'd made her feel full of life and beautiful, filling her with hope and his seed. He glanced back at the dark haired girl, making her recoil. His reddish-brown eyes, usually so full of mystery and wonder, were cold and uncaring.

"Bakura? What's the matter?" she asked softly, afraid someone might hear her speaking to the forbidden man. It wasn't just the fact he was a notorious thief, but a man in a supposed virgin priestess' bedchamber… Well, it didn't bode good tidings.

"Nothing that concerns you, Boki," he muttered. He tied his loin cloth and started for the door. She sat up, alarmed and eyes filling with tears. Her fears were starting to boil up from within.

"Bakura, where are you going?" she quickly asked, wrapping the blanket around her and starting after him. He sighed I turned around, crossing his arms and taking in the sight before him. Boki was crying now, fearful he would leave her, and clutching at the cloth from her bed. She reached out to touch his shoulder, but he shoved her hand off.

"Girl, I'm leaving," he heartlessly admitted. "And no, I wont come back for you. Ever." With that, he went out the door and left the poor girl to deal with the burden of letting herself be used. He chuckled to himself as he climbed the wall and headed towards the holy chambers of the temple. At least she was bedded by the King of Thieves, right?

…………

Alai and Sheba were inside the inner walls quick like always. They walked along the roof's rafters, watching the clergy as they passed under the thieves. They reached the end of the rafter and slipped to the ground, pressing their backs against the wall. Alai barely looked in the door way and examined the room using her excellent peripheral vision. A glimmering golden bowl caught her attention and she smiled broadly. Sheba handed her a leather bag and followed her big sister into the room.

"Alai, look!" She said, pointing to the wall near the alter. A shelf of scrolls and books sparkled to the young thief's eyes. Sheba hurried over to the wall and stuff her own bag with the papyrus papers to her sister's pleasure. Alai couldn't read, but knew Sheba valued her small ability to understand a few of the symbols and so thought it cute. She herself turned her attention to the gold and began putting it away.

Finished with this room, they hurried on, hoping to find more. The young women stayed on the ground, not wanting to risk loosing any of their take because it was too heavy to go on the rafters. They seemed to melt into the shadows as anyone passed, not knowing or seeing the two as they stole the valuables necessary to the clergy's holy lives.

As they passed through a hallway, a creaking rafter caught Alai's attention. She grabbed Sheba's shoulder and glanced up without moving her head. Sheba looked at her sister curiously and moved against the wall as Alai pulled her back. Without taking her eyes off the shadow in the rafters, she dropped her bag and slipped two daggers from the folds of her skirt.

Alai stepped out and stood directly under the shadow and gauged the distance up. In one swift motion, she threw the dagger up the left side, sending the shadow off balance and threw the second, knocking it of its feet. Its arm shot out and swung on the rafter and fell. Right onto of Alai.

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Well, this is my first chapter! A lot has happened already, huh? Well, keep reading and we'll see what happens!


	2. Revelation

**Chapter 2: Revelation **

Alai gasped and shook her head, trying to sit up, but the man's weight kept her down. He was able to sit up though, and did, straddling her in the process. Her breath caught in her throat as she fought back a yell. It would give away her and her sister's position and thus lead to a possible arrest. Why worry about escaping when you can avoid the whole process?

…………

Bakura looked down at the woman under him with interest. Long, well-kept black hair, soft skin, long legs… This woman could spark some fun in him the last temple girl barely touched on. A hungry smile crept over his lips as he studied her toned body. Up in the rafters he'd followed the two women, intending on taking the gold and valuables from them once they'd made it safely out, but he couldn't help but notice this one and wanted to take her along with the goods.

WAM! He felt himself be plowed over by something small, but strong. He fell on his side, the wind slightly knocked out of him, leaving him gasping for air. He looked up to see the girl's younger partner glaring at him and brandishing two daggers.

"Get the fuck off my sister, pervert!" she whisper yelled.

…………

Alai jumped up and had her weapons out in a split second. There was no way in Hell she would let her and Sheba's work go to waste. She moved next to Sheba and held out her weapons too. The man smirked and chuckled slightly, eyes studying the blades.

"And what," he asked, his voice deep and rough, "do you plan on doing with those toys, girls?" Alai's patience won out and she kept from making the first move. Sheba followed suit.

"Get out of our way and you won't have to worry," Sheba warned. Alai smiled at her sister's smart ass attitude. He chuckled again and shook his head.

"Do you—" Alai started, but a high, shrill scream from down the hall interrupted her. Thee thieves quickly turned and saw a temple girl with a bloodstained dress, ripped and torn in artful places.

"Boki! You stupid bitch!" the white haired man yelled. As he started to advance on her, Alai and Sheba grabbed their bags and ran. The turned down the hall and headed to where they hoped would be a windowed room.

Sheba slipped into one room and quickly waved over her sister. On one side was a window they could just slip through, but it was high up. Alai smiled victoriously. The thieving sisters were all-too good at reaching insanely high places. They hurried over and dropped the bags, then Alai made her hands into a foothold and boosted Sheba up. She hung out slightly, surveying the area.

"Sheba, are there any guards or people?" she asked hurriedly; she could hear voices and what sounded like footsteps coming in their direction.

"No! Pass up the bags," Sheba answered, holding out her arms. Alai handed her the strap for one and watched as her sister drop it down. After they repeated this step, Sheba jumped out the window. Not waiting for the ok, Alai jumped and hauled herself over the edge, just as the door in the room burst open. They dashed around the corner and headed to the inn using the "back way" and going behind buildings.

They quickly climbed through the window of their room and set down the goods. Alai started to pack a few of their travel belongings and threw on her cloak. Sheba was by the window and waiting when she finished.

They slipped inside the stable and loaded their horse Kamenwati, a large and beautiful black stallion from the tip of his nose, to his long dark tail. Sheba climbed onto the horses back after throwing on the blanket used as a saddle and held out her arm for Alai, who took it and swung herself behind her sister. Alai's deathly fear of horses was only broken slightly when her sister took the reigns when they were younger and began learning horsemanship.

"Go, Kamenwati!" Sheba urged the horse, causing it to rear and bit and gallop forward, bursting through the door. She hurried him outside the town while he Alai clutched to Sheba for dear life.

No one from the village chased after them, but they didn't stop until they couldn't see the speck. The sisters started laughing and cheering when Sheba pulled the reigns, causing Kamenwati to slow down. Alai hugged her sister tightly.

"You did amazing, Sheba!" she praised. Sheba smiled her bright smile and turned to pat her sister's head.

"At least you didn't panic this time when I made Kamen rear!" she teased. Alai stuck her tongue at her and laughed. Little did they know, they may no have been followed by the villagers, but they were followed.

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They came upon the gates of a larger city just as dawn broke. They watched the gates open for the many travelers and merchants who missed curfew camped outside the city walls. This was where the thieves could sell their stolen goods to be melted down and remade into something else for the nobles. Sheba directed their horse to follow behind a caravan with women and children coming from somewhere insignificant. This worked and they passed the guards unchallenged.

They entered into the market entrance of the city. People bustled about, children screamed with laughter and pickpockets lightened the purses of rich folks who wouldn't notice until it was too late. Alai felt at home here.

They weaved through the crowd, giving evil glares at would-be thieves who understood right away to back off, and stopped in front of an old stable. The girls dismounted, throwing down the hoods of their cloaks as they led him inside. One of the stable boys went to unload the saddlebags when Alai grabbed his wrist. He jumped and stared up at Alai fearfully.

"Don't touch, understand?" she asked. He nodded. "I'll take care of it."

…………

Next to the old stable was a simple inn, similar to the one in the village, only this one was filled with more patrons. Alai and Sheba carried in the bags and walked to the bartender.

"Sir?" she said to get his attention. He turned and smiled at the girls knowingly, pointing to the door behind him. They thanked him and went into the back room. It was dimly lit, the only light coming from a small fire under a makeshift chimney, but that was enough to glint off a small pile of gold across the room. Next to the fire, an old woman sat, studying a piece of gold and holding it up to the light.

"Grandmother Woserit?" Sheba softly said to her, kneeling down while she and Alai set their bags in front of her. The old women looked up, eyes glowing with youth that had long since left her bones. She smiled at the girls and set down the gold to open her arms.

"Alai! Sheba! My beautiful girls!" she laughed as they hugged her tight. "I see your journey to the small village was fruitful by the looks of it."

Alai smiled and said, "Well, We're going to have sort through some things because Sheba," she ruffled her sister's hair, "grabbed a few extra things." The old woman nodded and motioned to see the gold. They spread it out for the woman to appraise and offer a price.

"Temple hunt, eh?" Woserit said, studying on of the bowl's carvings. She couldn't read, but she knew the meaning of certain carvings.

"Yes, ma'am," Sheba said, pulling out one of the scrolls and studying it intently. About an hour later, she finished appraising and they settled on a deal. Woserit called in the bartender and had him give the girls' their money. If there was one good thing about the old woman, she was fair with Alai and Sheba. The girls thanked Grandmother Woserit and stood to leave.

"Wait Alai!" she said, catching the girl's hand. "Stay for a few moments." She looked at Sheba who shrugged.

"I'll help Rami," she said, pointing to the boy who worked in the stables. He peaked in just as she said his name to ask about the horse. She hurried out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Alai turned and sat before the old woman. Woserit studied Alai intently, probably using her "gift" as she referred to it as she did. Alai felt her skin tingle as power brushed against it.

"You have to great things unfolding for you, Alai," the old woman said, voice softening as another voice joined, creating a dual effect. "What have you been dreaming of lately?" Alai thought for a moment and remembered her dream from two nights before the last. She'd been dreaming of her family at first, then suddenly, everything went black and a great crystal dragon hovered before her and spoke her name in a great voice that reverberated through her whole body. Then she awoke.

"A dragon," she said slowly. The old woman pointed to a gold plate.

"Bring that here," the mystic said, for she was and a powerful one at that. Alai grabbed it and presented it to Woserit who then placed her hand on it. Instantly, the surface turned completely black as if made of ebony. The old woman's eyes glazed over and turned a milky blue in the iris as she picked it up, facing the black surface towards Alai. "Look into it and see what your soul shows you."

A great dragon, the one from her dream, stood proud. On her head were two horns of amber looking crystal that matched one that extended from her snout. Her wings and body sparkled as if made from diamonds, massive and magnificent. Her claws looked to made from the same color crystal her horns were and an even darker orange material covered its stomach and went down its neck, leaving space for a strip of the diamond material to separate the stomach and neck. Its great eyes stared directly at Alai and she knew her creature's name.

"Hyozanryu…" she whispered the great dragon's name.

…………

The supposed "monster" could cause Alai trouble if any of the Upper Kingdom's royal guards found out and she knew it. She would then be dragged if she didn't escape to the palace to be tried and have the "beast" removed so she could be cleansed and it would used by the royal priests to "protect" the land. The thought sickened her and she swore nothing could take it from her. She didn't mention it to Sheba though, not sure how her sister would take it yet…

They left with their money and quickly headed to market to get supplies. They had too much money on them to safely stay in the city. It may look like a nice place to stay, but theft and things of that nature were high leveled. They took precautions by hiding it on multiple places on their body, knowing very few would be brave to touch a woman without an uproar being caused.

"Alai, aren't we running low on food?" Sheba said, as they looked around. Alai nodded.

"Yes, we'll need more for the trip home tomorrow as well," she told her sister. They took a few separate trips, each time leaving the supplies in the inn, knowing very few dared try to steal from Mystic Grandmother Woserit. They passed a weapon's stand on their way back for their last trip and Alai stopped. A beautiful set of daggers with sapphires on the hilts glinted at her. Sheba quickly understood when she gave a questioning look. Next to them sat a set with rubies in the hilts.

Throwing back her hood, the owner of the stand saw she was a young fair beauty, obviously curious about the great blades. Alai repressed a smile as the man's chest puffed out and he stepped up. She delicately picked up one of the blades to study it.

"My my, you've got good taste, Miss," he said, leaning over the counter as she examined the sapphires. "Those are a pair of my finest work!"

"They certainly are magnificent!" she breathed, articulating her words to appear noble. Her earrings and gold chokers helped the look along.

"My lady, if you're interested in buying them," he said smiling, "I just _happen_ to be having a discount." She feigned blushing and fluttered her eyes.

"Oh my, how wonder—"she began, but for the second time in less than two days, someone interrupted her by yelling. A crowd of people rushed over to where the yelling merchant was who obviously had been robbed. As people passed, Alai snatched up the second dagger and the other dagger set she'd been eyeing for Sheba.

The sword smith yelled, "Help! I've been robbed!" but because of the commotion, no one took notice of him. Alai laughed and dashed through the crowd, pulling up her cloak's hood. She dashed into an ally where she stopped for a breath and leaned against the wall. She took out her old daggers from under her skirt, and threw them to the wall. She quickly replaced the empty sheaths with the sapphire daggers and started walking normally.

_Tpt tpt tpt._ Alai spun around to see who was following her. The alleyway entrance was empty. She quickly glanced around without moving her head, not wanting to give away her suspicion. She turned and paused again, almost positive she saw a red flicker go over the ally's wall at the end. She glared hard at it and decided against using that escape rout.

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Author: Well, that's chapter two! Hope you all are enjoying this story. Oh! Note: Hyozanryu is in fact a dual monster card and will be playing a role obviously in the story.


	3. Followed?

**Chapter 3: Followed?**

They woke early before the sun arose the next day. Alai felt it best the travel at the coolest time when the first half of their journey would be most difficult. The girls would have to cross the arid desert around the city they would be leaving and that could get dangerous if Ra was high up in the sky. They quickly packed a small amount of provisions for the journey, taking care to keep it separate from the food and water they would be using at their "home". Before leaving, they snuck into the back room where they new Grandmother Woserit would be waiting.

She must have had one of the servant boys roll out a bed roll because she lay snoozing on the ground quietly. Alai and Sheba approached her sleeping form and gently shook her awake. Her eyes were heavy with sleep, but she still smiled sweetly to them.

"Off already, are we?" she asked, sitting up and stretching. Alai nodded.

"We thought it best to leave now," Sheba stated. The old woman nodded and hugged them both close to her. They hugged Woserit around the neck, clinging to the only woman who really cared for them after the tragedy. As they stood up however, she grasped Sheba's arm.

"Grandmother?" she said out of surprise.

"Alai, please go finish packing and preparing," the mystic ordered. "I need to speak with Sheba."

"Yes, Grandmother," she said.

…………

After about ten minutes, the girls were on Kamenwati's back and off. They were forced to use the Slave's Entrance as it was called because the main gates of the city were shut tight. The Slave's Entrance was an opening in the wall caused by some unknown invasion thought to be repaired. Slavers began using the opening though as a way to transport slaves to and from the city and were closely followed by thieves and other criminals to enter or escape. After awhile, some of the corrupt guards and nobles began asking for a small fee of silence. Most paid, knowing the consequences could very well lead to the opening being closed up permanently.

Alai and Sheba knew this entrance, having used it a few times before, and were careful as to how they would pass through that part of the city. It was a rat's nest of riffraff and thieves not afraid to kill each other so they could get the upper hand. They put their cloaks on and made sure to hide the gold they carried. The only thing that would look slightly out of place was the two veils the put on.

Both face covers were a sheer black, delicately made. Each was embroidered with simple patterns made of gold thread around the top of it. Tiny gold leaf coins were sew in by the thread and clinked slightly when they turned their heads. At the bottom left corner, in the same colored thread, were a hawk and a rectangular box, both the first letters of their names. Most would see this as a stupid mistake to wear something elegant in the slums of the city, but in reality, they served as a warning beacon to those they passed.

The two women were revered among the thieves of the city as royalty. Even though they were both young and women, they outmatched every male thief in the city in both speed and stealth. Not to mention the amount they could collect at one go. If they wore the veils, all who knew of them, even those who couldn't recognize the letters because they couldn't read, would know full well they were stepping in dangerous territory by stealing. Of course, there would always be those few who didn't understand the warning.

Looking around, they could see the filth of the city pile up in this area. Dogs rummaged through the waste of both animal and human while they searched for something to eat. Roughly made stalls for people's cheap wares were held up barely by poor craftsmanship and the cloth that was used to keep they sun out was faded, torn, and dirty. In they allies they passed, they caught a glimpse or two of "transactions" taking place, both legal and illegal.

Sheba lead Kamenwati through the slums carefully, taking care not to hit anyone as they passed. It was her job to get them to the entrance, and Alai's to make sure they got there safely. She was able to ward off a few by simply glaring at them as their hands slipped towards the bags. They easily caught sight of the beautiful veil and took off without a trace. Others she had to flash her daggers, giving them an all-too understandable threat.

Alai gasped as Kamenwati reared unexpectedly, causing Alai to squeak a bit and cling to Sheba for dear life. A man in a red cloak with his hood drawn stepped out in front of them and grabbed at the reins.

"Hey you bastard!" Sheba yelled. "Get the hell away from us!" He calmed the horse and grabbed a hold of the reins tightly.

"Come with me," he said quietly, glancing around at the people watching them. Alai caught a glance at his face and recognized the double slashed scar running down his cheek.

"You!" she hissed. "What are you doing following us?!" she kept her voice low, not wanting to draw anymore attention. It was the same man who fell on top of her in the village. Just the thought of the man angered her off.

"Just come with me, damn it!" he demanded. Sheba made the horse rear again, nearly kicking the man.

"Get out of our way!" the fifth teen-year-old girl yelled. Yelling could be heard approaching them and Alai looked back to see the city guards coming.

"Sheba, go!" she yelled. Her sister kicked the horse into a run, helping him to weave around people and get to their destination. They went down a false ally, and stopped just at the wall. A man stepped out of the shadows and held out his palm.

"'When a traveler seeks the road,'-" Sheba quoted as Alai gave the man a few coins.

"-'Then the gods will provide,'" he finished, knocking on the wall three times. It began to shift and creak, revealing a walkway just big enough for them to get through if they dismounted leading to the outside desert. The young women jumped off the black horse, Sheba leading him behind Alai. After a few paces, the false wall creaked back into place as if there wasn't any sort of hole to begin with. Alai and Sheba pulled their hoods tighter around their head and secured their veils a little more. They weren't sure if the winds would pick up and if it did, they would be prepared against the sands.

They thankfully left at the perfect time. Just as the sun came blazing over the horizon, they could see the oasis in the distance. Alai hugged her sister tightly and told her how proud she was of her again. Sheba laughed and shrugged.

"Well, what would you do without me, Alai?" she teased. Alai tapped the top of her head and laughed herself.

"I'd go crazy, Sheba!" she replied. "I love you, sister."

The oasis was a rare sight and it was neither small nor large. Enough trees surrounded it to give proper covering from the sun and were very healthy. In the very center was a crystal clear pool that shimmered in small waves from the small, natural waterfall leading into it from atop a rock formation about two man-heights. This was places partially on an incline that reached far up, leading into a rocky hillside. The young women dismounted and took Kamenwati to the poolside to let him drink his fill. Alai and Sheba both began to strip down, looking forward to the cool waters.

Just as Alai finished unclothing, Sheba tackled her out of nowhere into the water. The water just deep enough to submerge by slightly bending your knees cause Alai to come up sputtering and shaking her head. Sheba was laughing loudly and clutching her sides.

Alai splashed some water at her sister, shouting, "Hey! No fair!" Sheba theatrically gasped and splashed back.

"Try and steal my victorious moment why don't you!" she retaliated. The girls dissolved into a splashing war of giggles and laughter. All the while, neither were aware of prying eyes.

…………

Bakura cursed his stupidity on trying to make an entrance on the two women. He dashed around the building, climbing up the walls like a monkey. He slipped across the rooftops and ledges quickly and quietly, trying to follow the women who were on horseback. He could hear the guards tailing himself and the two thief women, and it annoyed him.

"Stupid pests," he muttered as he swung himself down and into the ally where the Slave's Entrance was said to be. He heard a rumbling sound come to a stop and stared at the man counting coins in his hand. "You!" he said, approaching the man. "Where are the two women on a great black horse?" The looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. His bearded grin was completely unreadable, save the twitch that gave him away. He knew.

"Who?" he asked, playing dumb. Bakura sighed. He was becoming irritated with these people.

A little while later, the man _kindly_ provided Bakura with a camel and a face cover for the journey ahead of him. Bakura tossed a knife up and down and sheathed it. He could see the dot in the distance he knew to be the women he wanted to trail. He patted the great beast and set her off at a simple pace, not wanting to give away his position.

The journey for the great Thief King was dull. He wouldn't speed up for fear of them catching wind of him and he couldn't slow down because he would loose him. When the sun broke over the horizon though, it was an interesting sight for him. All of the golds, reds and yellows mixed together to form the perfect amount of treasure he yearned to someday own. Reality set in when the sunrise was slowly replaced by the fiery Ra on his usual path that he still had a leg of journey to travel in the sunlight. He groaned allowed, not caring since no one was around.

As he neared the oasis, he dismounted and led his camel to the very edge. He tethered the animal to the easiest tree, not wanting to give full warning to his approach. Bakura quietly approached the sounds of laughter and splashing water he knew to be his objectives. He noiselessly slipped into the brush, close enough now to see them taking a bath or a swim and he felt himself grinning. Their bodies were curvaceous, young healthy, and supple and the find excited. His eyes began to follow only the one woman after a short few minutes; the one he fell on top of by complete accident. Her body was even more provocative without her clothes with the way her wet hair clung to her back and round backside.

He shifted his position and he heard the crackle of a long dead leaf. The two women stopped their game and spun quickly in the direction. The one he was most interested in snatched up a few daggers, tossing two to her younger counter part.

Brandishing the blades without any modesty, she yelled, "Who's there?! Show yourself coward!" Bakura cursed again and stood, throwing off his hood.

"Touzoku Bakura, King of Thieves," he proclaimed, crossing his arms. "And I have an offer for you."

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Author: Well, here's chapter three! I hope you enjoy it. Wonder what Bakura's offer is? Only the next chapter will tell!


	4. Captive and New Power

Chapter 4: New Ally and Setting the Boundaries

**Chapter 4: Captive and New Power**

Alai was angered beyond belief when she saw Bakura. So that's who this was… The infamous King of Thieves. He followed the two of them to their only home, even after her sister nearly trampled him with their horse. Now she and her sister on full display for him and Alai could feel, even watched, his hungry eyes take in their flesh. She gripped her daggers tightly and threw one toward his left. Just as she anticipated, he gracefully dodged to the right, only to have Sheba's dagger pierce him a split second after Alai's flew past.

"Shit!" he yelled in pain. He fell to his left knee and clutched the hilt of the dagger. Alai scrambled out of the water at the same time as Sheba, hoping he'd follow her so her younger sister could get clothes on. Bakura's blazing blue eyes flicked up and glared at Alai as he tried to pull out the dagger.

She tied on her loin cloth and quickly replaced her skirt, saying, "You're lucky you know. We didn't poison the tips of those blades just yet." He paused for a second, tugging and trying to get the blade to release him. She grinned broadly and slipped on her easy top. "Having trouble, O' Great King of Thieves?" Sheba, having dressed quicker than she, was creeping around the back to get a better vantage point. Alai tossed her dagger and flipped it, putting on a show to keep Bakura distracted.

It took all his discipline and training to keep from pulling out his own dagger and gutting the two women after having his way with both of them. He continued to curse under his breath, not just at the fact he couldn't figure out how to pull out the knife without harming himself greatly, but at having to have this damn plan. _'Don't forget Bakura,'_ he though to himself, _'It's better with the beautiful and __willing__ than with a dead fish that just lays there.'_ He continued to lightly tug the blade buried deep.

"You know, woman-" he started.

"It's Alai, idiot," She cut in, petting Kamenwati. He sighed sarcastically.

"_Alai_ then. Well _Alai_, you know, you ought to see this as proof that I won't hurt you or your sister," he said. He continued to ease the blade out ever so slightly.

"Proof ?" she asked. Just as she opened her mouth, he heard a slight thunk and felt a cold piece of metal press around his neck. He cursed again at his stupidity. He tried to keep an eye on the Alai girl, but forgot to watch her partner. He cursed yet again at having fallen for such an amateur trick.

Alai chuckled inwardly at seeing Bakura's surprise and then anger. He knew that he was at their mercy. Alai grabbed a cloth and quickly walked over to where they were, catching her second dagger as Sheba tossed it to her. She slid into its hiding place and kneeled down before Bakura.

"I'm curious as to what the Great Thief K-"

Bakura cut in, "Just Bakura will do." Alai caught a hint of sarcasm and dark humor in that comment and smiled.

"-what the Great _Bakura_, has to offer us but first," she said, grasping the dagger in his left thigh. She jiggled it ever so slightly and pulled it straight out. She pressed the cloth to his bleeding leg and looked up to watch him grit his teeth. "But first, you have to have this little nuisance taken care of.

After binding the wound around Bakura's well muscled leg and blindfolding him, he felt himself being led near the waterfall. The throbbing wound wouldn't be much problem to him, but he went along with his plan and their lead, cursing them all the while. A grinding and heavy object was being moved to what he could hear, but didn't have time to figure out what it was as he felt the blade from the younger girl press to his back. He stepped forward, shivering from the light, cool spray of water coming from the waterfall. He walked a few paces into what he guessed was a cave and was shocked slightly when continued to walk, even turned, into what he expected to be a small cavern at most.

"Sit," he heard Alai's voice tell him. The blade at his back disappeared, and he felt someone pull off the blindfold. It was a very small, carved room, separated by curtains. He guessed this was one of many chambers. Alai cut across his view and pointed behind him. "Sit. Down." Bakura looked behind him and down, saw the simple, well-made stool and plopped down.

Looking around the makeshift room, he noticed a small table against the wall with an assortment of healing things. Bandage wraps, salves, ointments and other affects were neatly placed. The other girl was straightening up and grabbing a few of these things and brought them to Alai.

"I'm not touching _him_," she said glaring at Bakura. "I'll be in the main chamber. Yell if you need me?" She pulled back the curtain barely enough for her to get through and slipped out. Bakura glanced back at Alai who was kneeling down in front of him.

"That's Sheba," she said quietly. "Don't you dare touch her, understand me?" She looked up at him stone dead in the eyes. "I'll kill you." He only looked back with an unreadable expression. Inside he felt a weird chill in his stomach and knew this woman meant business. But not matter. He _was_ Bakura, King of Thieves after all.

* * *

Alai couldn't help but notice how toned and strong his thigh was. Just tying on the bandages gave away how powerful he was. It annoyed her even more that she found this attractive. _'So this is what they mean by him being good with women…'_ she though. _'It's a damn good thing my sister and I are no regular women or easily tricked.'_ She finished tying it and stood up.

"Stand up," she ordered, keeping her hands near her daggers. He did as he was told, looking at her the whole time. He looked like a tiger in its cage, bound and chained, but ready to strike at any moment with his arms still tied behind his back like they were. She stepped a little to the side and pulled back the curtain. "After you, Great King," she mocked with a little smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"Lynx," he muttered as he slipped through the opening. He entered a fairly decent cave-room with simple to extravagant furniture and rugs decorating it. On the walls hung various papyrus scrolls and other pictures, giving the room a comfortable appeal. Alai noticed Bakura's eyebrows raise and saw him take in the scene.

"You'll sleep here," she said, pointing to another curtain, one of four including the one they came out of. Its curtain was blue and simple and when drawn back, revealed a simple pallet on the floor. Its walls were decorated with the simplest of designs and obviously where they kept guests. There was a chain in the wall and didn't look like it'd budge anytime soon. Attached to the end was a thick metal collar which Alai latched around the captive's neck, locking it with a tiny key. "It's not comfortable—"

"No shit," he muttered, getting a smack on the head from Alai.

"—But," she continued as if he said nothing, "you'll have to deal for now." She tugged on the chain a bit, satisfied he couldn't escape and slipped the key into her chest covering. She looked him up and down, taking note his arms were still tied up and met his gaze. His oddly blue irises were unreadable, but gave Alai an oddly welcome shiver. "I'll bring you food and listen to your "offer" later."

Alai pulled back the curtain and stepped out of his room. She walked over to a table and sat on a chair facing it, and laid her head on the table. She felt tired from the long ride She and her sister had to take and the excitement after didn't help any. She could feel in the pit of her soul an energy she began to disregard before learning its true nature shifting and watching. Her Ka, Hyozanryu, ached to be released from its bonds, but Alai calmed her gently. _'I'll let you out as soon as this mess is cleared up,'_ she thought, drifting into sleep.

The next thing she knew, she felt the gentle shaking of her shoulders that woke Alai up. She felt heavy from falling into such a deep sleep for some odd reason, and sat up groggily. Alai still wore the clothes she'd traveled in and felt dirty and in need of a good bath. She realized, after looking around a bit, Sheba was sitting on her bed next to her and curious as to how she got there in the first place. She appeared tired, as if she'd been working on something manually for hours.

"Sheba…? What…?" she muttered, rubbing her eyes. Sheba shook her head.

"You must've slept walked," she explained. She crossed her legs over one and other and watched her sister wake up. "When I came back in from the oasis, you were sleeping at the table. I 'woke' you up and you stumbled in here." Alai shrugged and stood up.

"I don't know," she said, "but, I'll believe you on it. Have you checked on the captive?" Sheba shook her head again.

"No, and I don't like him," she said. "He gives me the creeps…" Alai shrugged and went to a small woven box and opened it. Inside were neatly stacked clothes; they all carried the theme of lightweight and given for easy mobility.

Pulling out a change of clothes, she turned and said, "I know Sheba, but we'll see what his offer is for now. I've got a gut feeling we may need what he has to offer…" She placed her hand on Sheba's head and ruffled her hair.

"Hey!" she laughed, pushing away her sister's hand. Alai smiled.

"I'm going to get a bath ok?" She told her younger sister. Sheba nodded and walked through the curtain of Alai's chamber.

Grabbing a comfortable towel, a coarse blanket, and a wineskin full of water, Alai left the room and walked to the exit where the massive bolder sat in front. Placing what she was carrying on the ground and bracing herself against the giant seal, she pushed. The thing groaned and grinded against the outside rock as Alai moved it. She gritted her teeth and felt her muscles strain in protest against it, but moved it enough she could slip out. A small flashback played through her mind of when Sheba and herself found the bolder and it took them both pushing to near exhaustion to move the rock. Now, they both could open it without the others help.

She replaced it back when she was out, and turned to survey the sky. It had reached passed dusk and was heading to sunset while she slept, meaning she'd been asleep for hours. _'Explains why I'm so energized…'_ she thought to herself. Instead of going straight to the oasis waters like she'd led Sheba to believe, she instead set her things next to the bolder, except the blanket and the wineskin, and headed through the trees and out to the desert sands, leaving the oasis as a small shape in the distance.

The blazing sun shown fiery red as Ra reached the earth, beginning the sunset. Alai laid out the blanket and set the bulging wineskin on top of it, then walked a few yards away. Grandmother Woserit's words still rang out in her head for what she was about to do: _"You must learn to control the beast inside of you, Alai. It's power is great and if you find yourself in a dangerous situation, you will not be able to control it showing itself to your enemies and possibly put yourself in danger with the Pharaoh's men. Find a secluded place and learn to control this gift and curse."_

"Alright…" Alai said out loud to fill the endless space around her. She spread her weight evenly and braced her body against what she feared to be large amounts of power. Her clenched her fists and closed her eyes. She searched deep down inside her very soul for that power, wanting to bring it forth. The sleeping dragon cracked open its eye and looked at Alai lazily. Recognizing who was looking upon her, it opened it eyes completely and rose to its full height. Opening its wings and flapping them once, creating a gust of wind, it knew her intentions.

Alai felt the power from the wings surging around her. She opened her eyes and saw the sands around her were tossed into the air, spinning around her from the wind the power created. Her hair also was being tossed about by it, giving her the sensation of flying. She shook her head and braced herself again after noticing herself going lax with wonder. She felt the power of Hyozanryu forming into itself, and smiled with wonder. It formed a small globe in her chest at first, warm and comforting. Then it created another gust of power, stronger than before.

A mighty roar reverberated off the hills as the great crystal dragon unleashed itself from Alai's body, sending torrents of power coursing through its host's body. It flew into the sky with its wings spread out in triumph at being released, opening it's maw with the roar. It sparkled like a giant diamond, sending rainbows all over the sands from the blazing red light. Alai shielded her eyes from its majesty, awed that such a beast rested in her. After twisting in the air, it landed in front of her and gave the impression of smiling.

_Alai, I am Hyozanryu._

Alai jumped at the voice sounding in her head. Was this the dragon? Again it seemed to smile.

_Yes, Alai. I am speaking to you through your mind._

Alai looked skeptical.

'_How, great dragon?'_ She asked with her thoughts.

_We share a bond beyond that of which you are used to with your fellow humans. One that allows us to communicate and for you to give me orders without having to _speak

'_But are you not more powerful than me? That display of strength has convinced me you would be ordering me!'_

_No, Alai. You created me. I am your power and strength of heart in physical form. I am your vassal and will follow what you say. _

* * *

Sheba said nothing to her about being gone longer than a normal bath would take and didn't ask about the roaring Alai knew she must've heard, even if it was faint. She wondered about this a bit as she plaited her long wet hair, but didn't dwell too much on it. It was dark out now, and her sister had the lamps inside lit by the time she returned.

Whatever rest Alai had gotten before was burnt up from practicing with her Ka beast. She spent the last remaining light and even into twilight learning to govern Hyozanryu, finding it strange and exhilarating. She'd stopped only because she still needed to actually bathe and speak to Bakura whom she knew was probably bored out of his mind. The thought made her chuckle.

* * *

Bakura had given up hours ago on trying to loosen the bonds. They'd searched him when they first caught him and removed every weapon within reach without any modesty. His captors were strange women, acting with the grace and movements of their gender, but the brutality of men. He sighed heavily and hung his head, resting against the wall.

He'd slept for a long time. He wasn't able to do anything else until given the chance to speak to him. He was surprised at the fact he found food and water just within his reach after waking up. Usually the softest of sounds set him off. He'd devoured the food, having learned to eat without his hands, and wondered if there would be more to come soon. His stomach growled loudly to agree with his minds question.

The grinding sounds of the bolder made him jerk his head up. The two sisters spoke with soft voices, just quiet enough that Bakura could barely make out what they said. He cursed them for it and let out a sharp breath of frustration. He was irritated that they left him with nothing to occupy his time, although that was expected, but he'd counted on the female nature of caring and easily swayed hearts to overpower their better judgment and let him out.

The rustling of the curtains made him snap up his head. In stepped Alai, the older of the two from what Bakura remembered, with her face set in determination. She carried a small plate with bread and water on it and right on cue his stomach growled. He took in the fact her hair was wet and braided back, so she must have been taking a bath. His mind pulled him back to the recent event from earlier that day and putting inappropriate images of her in his mind. A slight smirk crept onto his face.

"I don't see why you're smiling," she said, piercing through his thoughts. He voice was sharp like a knife and caught his attention. He watched her set the plate of food down in front of him. He raised a snowy brow.

"And I'm supposed to eat this how…?" he asked, feigning weakness.

"You ate the food Sheba laid out for you," she retorted. She crossed her legs and arms, apparently intending to watch him. He glared for a second and began eating like before. He felt her eyes on him as he artfully picked up the bread with his teeth and was able to chew on it without dropping the whole thing. After a few bites or so, he bit completely though and set the loaf down. "Why are you watching me, girl?" he snapped. It was Alai's turn to smirk.

"I'm waiting," she said, "to hear your proposal, once you're finished." He glared and continued in silence. _'How dare she?!'_ he though to himself._ 'How dare she humiliate me this way?!" _Once he finished his meal, he grabbed the simple cup of water with his teeth and tilted it. Water gushed around his mouth as he gulped it down, but he didn't care as long as it partially made it in. He set it back down to see Alai trying to hold back a laugh.

"What!?" he snapped. "I wouldn't have to if you and your sister would just untie me!" At this though, Alai giggled.

"Forceful, aren't we?" she asked. He glared at her, wanting so badly to snap back and put the bitch in her place, but held his tongue. "Well," she continued after he didn't say anything, "What's this offer of yours?"

"Well…"

Author: I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will continue to read. Please keep a look out for the next installment!


	5. The First Strike

Chapter 5:

**Chapter 5: The First Strike**

Alai held up her hand to interrupt him. "Understand first," she said, "I'm only _listening _to this. I'm not making a decision right away." He smiled a bit coldly, his strange blue eyes hard and strong as steel.

"I would expect no less if you're as good as you make yourself appear," he said, shifting a bit. Alai tensed up at both his comment and him moving. If the stories about the Thief King were true, he wasn't easy to overpower or keep chained up for long. She watched him closely.

"Please continue," she said. He shifted again.

"After having seen you clear out the temple between just you and the g—your sister," he began, showing no trace of emotion on his face, "I decided it may be in my best interest to follow you and 'evaluate' your talents." He smirked a little, irritating the woman. "Yes, I followed you from the village and in the city. I even watched yours and your sister's antics at the market the other day." Alai's eye twitched.

"They weren't antics, 'Great Thief King'," she snapped.

"Sorry, you're thieving. Anyway, I see some talent in you both. Especially," he added, "your intimidation of the people of that city. That in itself is important and essential if you get discovered." Alai huffed.

"Spit it out, Bakura," she snapped. His eye twitched along with the side of his mouth and Alai nearly blushed, shocking herself. Why…? She mentally shook her head, but only blinked in reality a few times.

"I want you and your sister to partner up with me." Alai stared at him for a few seconds then burst out laughing. His face fell at first into confusion which made her laugh more because of how cute it was, then into dark anger. "And why," he hissed, "are you laughing, girl?" Alai rubbed her eyes since they were tearing up and calmed herself down.

"Bakura, _thee _King of Thieves, is asking to partner up, no the _help_ of two _women_! This is too priceless!" He shook his head and sighed.

"Look I'll even prove it to you," he said, "I'm serious. Seeing as I had nothing better to do, I've got a plan."

…………

"Alai! You can't be serious!" Sheba yelled, obviously not caring if Bakura heard. "He's—"

"Sheba, please! Think of how much we could get off of him!" she hastily whisper-yelled, pulling her outside of the bolder and shutting it. Turning to her sister, Alai crossed her arms exactly like her. "If we do this, we'll become two of the most infamous thieves and may even dethrone the stupid bastard!" Sheba huffed and turned away. Alai touched her shoulder. "Little sister… Please. You've always trusted my judgment and I trust yours. But you _have_ to help me if this is going to work!"

Sheba spun and glared, "Alai, if this fails, we'll both be in so much trouble…" She shook her head. "I don't want to have to break you out of prison again." It was a quick stab. Alai had gotten into a bit of a mess when she was about seventeen having been caught stealing food for them too eat. Sheba ended up breaking her out of prison, seeing as Alai was already racking up offences and was going to be executed.

"I won't be caught," she promised. "I swear on our family, ok?" Sheba flared her nostrils much like Alai did when she was irritated and gave a curt nod.

"If this fails, Alai…" she pointed at her sister. "I'm never gonna let you live this down, got it?" Alai laughed and hugged her sister.

…………

"Make way and see the great Thief King Bakura!" the hooded woman cried sarcastically, stopping in front of an inn. She leapt off the great black horse, handed the leash to a stable boy and pulled on a chain connected to a man with white hair. He glared and spit at the taller woman who held his chain, only to receive a lashing from someone still atop the horse. The guards at the city gate were shocked and mortified to see a woman doing something like that, but mainly at the fact they really had the prisoner of which the boasted.

Alai grinned from beneath her hood and tugged on Bakura's chain. He was filthy and still bound up like before, only Alai managed to find another metal collar and chain to lead him on. Sheba dismounted and led the horse, hold a whip menacingly as if to threaten Bakura. The guards were approaching quickly and she wanted them to get a good look at the captive. He was filthy and shirtless, his lower body covered in little more than torn rags. She glanced at Sheba who nodded as the leader approached them.

"A-are you the one's who caught this criminal?" he asked in disbelief. Alai batted her eyelashes.

"Trust me sir," she giggled. "Even a woman has strengths that this fool," she spat tugging on his chain and making him trip, "can't refuse."

"Bitch!" he yelled, wiping his mouth only to get a lash to the back.

"Quiet!" yelled Sheba. The guard nodded with a smile and grasped the chain. Alai let him lead Bakura tugging and fighting to the gate.

"You may claim your reward if you follow me, Miss," he said turning toward the prison. Alai quickly grabbed a small bag and strapped to her under the simple cloak. The trek was definitely easy since people bustled and hurried out of the way of the kicking and cursing prisoner, the Great Thief King. Alai and Sheba trailed behind, keeping him semi-in line, but enjoying the show.

Once they arrived at the prison, Alai nearly pulled her daggers. Inside were many inmates stuffed into cells and probably hadn't seen women in a long time by the way they catcalled at her and Sheba. She kept her sister close to her who lashed out with the whip to keep their hands away, whether from fear or some other reason, Alai couldn't discern. When the reached the office where the head of the guards sat, the escort introduced the women as the captors of Bakura.

"Ahhhh! My thanks to you is nothing compared to what the Pharaoh will reward you!" he said. He was great man in size, built heavy and broad shouldered, only he was fat and had a great belly hanging out. His beard wasn't well kept and Alai could detect a faint odor coming off of him. She had to fight to hold her peace and she knew Sheba did too. He smile at the two girls said more than what he'd already told them. Alai quickly surveyed the room while the leader of the guards read out Bakura's numerous offences against him. There was a window on the wall to his left, facing the city where below, from what she could see, should've been a ledge able to hold the weight of a human if you walked. The table at which the man sat was simple like his chair and was placed in the middle of the room. Otherwise all around were lists of bandits, thieves, and other criminals written down and hung on the walls, all of the names unable to be read by Alai.

The man at the table snapped his fingers, and a bag of gold was carried in to them, which Alai took and looked inside as the man continued, "Here is your reward! The can be no amount of thanks we can give you, all though we think this should be good!" He slapped his great belly and let out a mighty roaring laugh. He then continued to read off of the list, seeming to be a young bride wanting her husband to buy expensive things off of the list.

Feeling a tug on her cloak, she glanced at Sheba who whispered, "Alai… I'm getting that feeling…" Sheba's gut instincts were beyond her sister's in sensing danger. Alai caught Bakura's eye who nodded.

"Sir?" she interrupted softly, but with enough force to catch the head guard's attention. He looked at her with a face that looked as if he'd sucked on a fruit that made the moister of his mouth evaporate.

"Yes, girl? What is it?" he snapped. Alai guessed he'd been thrilled to be reading the Great Bakura his offences and giving him the weight of doom on the white-haired man's shoulders.

"My partner and I," Sheba piped in, "would like to know if before the execution, or even now for that matter, could take the chance to… Get revenge on the tomb robber." He looked at them then back at Bakura who looked ready to murder them all. The man stroked his filthy beard then gave a slight nod. "On the condition that only we, yourself and the guards holding him down are involved. Can't let it get out we took the liberty can we?" She giggled wickedly and batted her eyelashes.

"I think I can arrange that…" he said, nodding to the guards holding him down. Bakura struggled and yelled profanity at them, threatening to do things to them neither Alai nor Sheba thought possible. The guards hit him over the head and forced him to show his bare back to the women. Sheba readied her whip, a fiery hatred in her eyes. She brought her arms back and let it down, whistling through the air…

And hit the guard to the left in the face, splitting it open as Bakura slipped his arms from out of the bonds that only loosely held him and punched the left guard in the face. Alai slammed a spare dagger into the wooden latch of the beautifully made door, preventing anyone from being able to get in for a few minutes. Bakura drew one of the guards' swords, holding it to the shocked Leader's throat.

"Yell and I'll slice your throat," he threatened darkly. Sheba quickly checked the guards to ensure they were unconscious. She pulled out a small flask with a yellow-green liquid, slipping a bit of the drink into their mouths.

"Sheba?" Alai said. "What are you doing?" Her sister stood and corked it, stowing it in her cloak.

She stated as if it were nothing, "Just a sleeping potion. They'll be out for a few hours, although, that one may be dead by then." She pointed to the one with his face bleeding from the gash created by her whip. Alai nodded and spun to face the now shaking Head of the Guards. She pulled back her hood and smiled wickedly at the disgusting and cowardly man.

"I'd appreciate you not mentioning this little incident," she said as he gapped at her.

"You two are--?!" he whispered. "But… How could you have fooled these men?! You've been terrorizing our city for so long! How?!" Alai and Sheba laughed and winked at each other.

"Let's just say we're good at what we do. Sheba? May I borrow that potion?" she asked. Her sister tossed it to Alai who caught with ease and gave a curt nod to Bakura. He quickly brought the hilt of the sword down on the back of his head as Alai walked up to him. He slumped on his desk with a yelp, suddenly out cold and drool slipping out of his agape mouth. The woman dropped a bit of the potion into his mouth after wrenching his head up by his hair. She let it fall back down on the desk with a thud.

"C'mon!" Bakura said with haste as he grabbed the gold. "We need to get out of here!" Alai checked the hallway and glanced around, looking for the guards that should have been there. The hallway was deserted. No guards meant possible ambush...

"Hellfire! Sheba, Bakura! No one's here! We better be quick!" she fiercely told them. Reaching into the bag strapped to her, she pulled out Bakura's red robe he was so fond of and threw it to him. Hurrying into the hallway, they dashed around and hid snuggly in dark corners, avoiding the now highly alert soldiers at every turn. Reaching the entrance, they quietly slipped out of a vast window and into a small garden decorating the front.

"Silly they have it…" Alai muttered to herself. "Even if it was threw donations from the city." The three hurried down the street, pulling up they're hoods and stowing the gold in Alai's bag. A few guards saw them leave, Alai figured, since they started following them. Sheba noticed just as Bakura did and looked over at Alai. She stepped back a bit in pace with Bakura, grabbing Sheba by the arm. She leaned over and whispered something in Bakura's ear who in turn wrapped his arm around Alai's waist with a smirk.

…………

"Well look at this," Bakura whispered back in her ear. "Already coming onto me?" His smirked widened as he sensed Alai's discomfort. "C'mon, let us go to the market. I'm sure you, Himé, and my little lady," he said louder, smiling at Sheba with sudden kindness, "would like something new and shiny, eh?" Alai giggled like a helpless girl and grabbed Sheba's hand.

"Come, Sheriti," she said," Let's see what your Papa can find for us!" With a look of surprise and slight confusion, they darted into the market place. It was filled with people and animals. Voices shout their wares and held them out to see for all of those who passed by. They tangled themselves in the crowd, now unseen by the guards. They wove their way back to the inn where Kamenwati awaited their return, darting passed soldiers who now filtered through the bustling part of town. They paused behind the inn and quickly turned to each other.

"I can go and find him," Sheba said quickly. "It won't take me long." Bakura opened his mouth to protest, but Alai cut him off.

"Be safe, Sheba," she whispered. The younger of the two smiled mischievously and darted off. Bakura sighed and leaned on the wall as Alai sat on a small box behind the inn. He studied the woman and took in the fact they were almost complete with this mad idea. He didn't let them on that he came up with this plot on the spot when he tried to convince Alai he meant them no harm. This woman allowed him to pull off a stunt he doubted he could have done alone. Perhaps the woman was worth keeping around.

Of course, he told himself, she comes at a price. The girl, no the woman's, sister would have to be included from the way the two acted together. Well, no matter. As long as it got him a little extra along with what he wanted, it bothered him little less she got in the way.

…………

It was Alai's turn to study Bakura. She watched him closely and expertly from the corner of her eye, taking in every detail she could about his physical person. He was tall and muscular, obviously from constant training or being on the run. His stark white hair was an absolute mess, not having been brushed or cleaned for so long made it slightly matted. She still didn't understand why he had such odd hair or even the fact his eyes were pale blue. She watched him cross his powerful arms as he began to pace and noted how his abdominal muscles were seamless and well-shaped. She felt her cheeks growing hot and knew they were coloring, and turned towards the alleyway opening so as not to even remotely face him. It shocked her she reacted this way, but the stories were right in that he was attractive.

Alai felt Hyozanryu's power inside of her shift. The great dragon seemed to awaken enough to keep from having to be released. She allowed the dragon to see through her eyes after a small nudge of power indicated that wish, turning her herself to face Bakura partially.

_He is hiding something… _Hyozanryu told her. Alai kept her face straight, but her reflexes uptight.

What is it? Do you know?

_I sense a great beast Ka within his soul, Alai. _Alai started at this and fought the reaction to stare at him. Bakura snapped his head out of his own thoughts and stared at her.

"Alai?" he said, tensing up for battle. Lowering his voice, he continued, "What is it?" Alai shook her head and muttered something about seeing a rat.

What kind though? How much stronger is it from you?

_It is a holy type, where I am only a light type. He is greater, but I cannot say exactly how much._

Alai nodded and stood. She saw Sheba quietly leading Kamenwati to the ally along with a second horse. Bakura stood up straight and gestured towards the horse.

"Why a second?" he asked. Sheba rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Because you idiot, Kamen would be way slower if we added your heavy ass on top of his back," she said. She handed him the reins to the horse, a beautiful chestnut color with a cream mark upon its brow. Alai watched Sheba hoist herself up onto Kamen and grasped her sister's hand to help her up after putting it in the saddle bag hanging from his side. The spun the horses facing the opening to the alleyway and took off, Sheba and Alai taking the lead. People yelled and cursed at them as they barreled through crowds, heading straight for the Slave's Entrance. They pulled the reins, Kamen stopping on command while the chestnut reared.

"Down, girl!" Sheba cried, grabbing the reins and pulling her down. They hopped off the horses and brought them up to the gate where the man sat as always.

"Sorry, it's closed off," the man said. Alai stared at him.

"What d'ya mean it's 'closed off'?!" Bakura demanded, grabbing the man by th cloak he wore. The sound of loud voices began to draw near along with orders.

"Bakura! Drop him now! They're coming!!" she yelled. Sheba nimbly hopped up onto Kamen followed by Alai. Bakura punched the man in the face and jumped on the mare.

"HYA!" Sheba yelled, snapping the reins and sending Kamen into a full gallop. Bakura followed suit and the started off quickly down the alley and turned to the left, straight for the main gate. They rode down the twisty streets, avoiding people by mere inches and leaping over things in the way. Alai couldn't help but laugh psychotically at the thrill. Now she really understood why her sister loved to ride horses. They kept at the quick pace until they saw the main gate beginning to close.

"NO!" Bakura yelled with sudden force and great authority. The men who were closing it hesitated for a split second, a split second they needed to dart through the gates. They sped like wind until the city itself was a spec in the distance behind. They pulled up on the reins and hopped of the poor horses' backs. The three looked at each other and started laughing. The excitement of the chase made them jittery and giggly.

"That was," Bakura said after catching his breath, "more fun than I've had in a long time!" Sheba smiled and shook her head.

"Then you need to get out more," she said, making Alai snicker more. They all pulled up their hoods and secured their cloaks. They would be riding into the sunlight and need to guard themselves well from Ra's unforgiving rays. Sheba took out a wineskin from the saddle bag and let Kamen drink some of it, but not letting him fill himself up on it. Afterwards, she went to Bakura's chestnut mare and let that horse drink.

"You should name her," Alai said. Sheba smiled back at her sister and stroked the beautiful horse's mane. Bakura shook his head, muttering something about sentiments, and turned away.

Sheba smiled brightly and stated, "Ellil." Alai smiled knowingly. Sheba turned back to the horse and kissed its muzzle. "You're name is Ellil now."

…………

Author: And that's the end of the fifth chapter! So, what'd you think? Hope you enjoyed it. Please stick around for the sixth chapter and the chapters after that. :D


	6. Haunted and Guilty Kisses

**Chapter Six: Haunted and Guilty Kisses**

_Alai splashed around in the oasis, giggling and chasing her older brother Wati around. Her long hair was plastered to her small, undeveloped body when she found ground she could stand on. Wati, who was only thirteen the years of age and slowly becoming a handsome young man, darted forward and tackled his sister into the water. She laughed and quickly swam away._

_"No fair, Wati!" she giggled. She splashed water at him and he fell back laughing, then splashed her back in the face. Her father, a tall, handsomely tanned man sat on a rock he'd placed in front of a palm tree in order to get out of the sun a bit. His name was Amun. 'Amun the Quick' they called him. The great known thief of the underworld leaned against the tree behind him, chuckling to himself and pulling gently at his dark goatee._

_"Wati, you're still such a boy!" he teased his son to Alai's great delight. Alai jumped and latched herself to her brothers back while he was staring at his father from embarrassment. He reached behind him and poked Alai's forehead._

_He spun around in circles to dislodge the girl and said, "Hey you little sticky bug! Let go!" She shrieked with laughter, clinging to him with dear life._

_Wati and Alai stopped when they heard the bolder to their "vacation home" began moving and watched their mother step out with their baby sister, Sheba. Their father smiled his special smile he only ever had for their mother and walked over to her, kissing her lightly on her forehead._

_"Ellil, my love, how are you?" he asked, kissing her on the lips, making the girls giggle and Wati shake his head as if he were full grown. The beautiful woman smiled radiantly and picked the young Sheba up._

_"Wonderful! Sheba just woke up from her nap and wanted to swim with her big brother and sister." She poked Sheba in the nose, which made her sneeze and pushed away her mother's hand._

_"That tickled, Mama!" she giggled. Ellil smiled and set her down, leading her to the water. Alai swam over to help her sister. Her mother and Alai helped pull Sheba threw the water as she kicked her little legs furiously to practice. 'Wheeee!" she cried out, enjoying herself._

_Alai smiled and then remembered instantly that her sister already knew how to swim and her brother and parents were back at the house fighting those horrible guards and they were running down the escape tunnel and climbing out only to see the black smoke from the flames eating away their house--_

Alai shot up from her pallet cursing and throwing back the blanket that covered her. She frantically looked around the room for the fire to put it out, only to have the darkness of the room she and Sheba shared greet her. She sighed heavily and rubbed her face to get rid of the dream. Sheba shifted and stretched a bit and sat up.

"Alai?" she muttered sleepily, mimicking her sister in rubbing her face. "What's wrong? What time of night is it?" Alai shook her head, even though Sheba couldn't see her.

"I don't know, but I'm checking on Bakura," she whispered back, standing up, shivering as the air touched her bare torso, and wrapped her arms around her. She stepped over Sheba who fell back.

"Go ahead and check on the sleaze ball…" she said, her voice muffled by the cushions. Alai chuckled and slipped out of the room, pulling back the curtain silently. The main cavern was lit by the moonlight spilling in front the entrance; Alai and Sheba made Bakura open it halfway to let the fresh air circulate in the room. She smiled and repressed a laugh at the memory of him trying to push the bolder from the top and having to show him the little bumps he could grip and use to push it.

She tiptoed over to the curtain dividing the room where they kept Bakura from the main room. She curled her fingers around the fabric and pulled it back, the only sound being the slightest wisp of sound from it dragging across the floor. Glancing around she saw everything as it was earlier in the evening, only one thing was missing: Bakura.

Cursing, she dropped the curtain and before it was hanging down like before, she was in her room and digging around for her sandals. Sheba mumbled something into her pillow, having turned over completely. Alai strapped on her shoes and tied fabric around her chest.

"Just taking a walk," she said and dashed out. Slipping out of the cave, she scanned around for signs of where he went. Looking down, she saw his shoe prints in the sand, and followed them with her eyes. Her head jerked back a bit in surprise to find they led to the desert and not to the city itself. She'd figured he'd taken something and gone to the city, leaving the two girls with nothing. She heard the two horses huff and snort, confirming he hadn't taken them.

"Shoulda checked the store room to see if he'd taken anything..." she said out loud. The only sound she could hear was the bugs chirping and making noise with the occasional sound from either Elill or Kamenwati. She sighed and followed the footprints to see what Bakura was getting up to. Better than sitting around to wait right?

By the time she stepped from the small group of trees, she'd realized he HAD gone into the desert. She scanned the horizon for any sign of him and a decent sized cloud of dust in the distance caught her attention instead. As she watched it, she could make out glimmers every now and then. She put her hands on her hips and thought for a moment. _'Hyozanryu DID say he had a powerful ka... Could that be making the sand float up in the air?'_ she thought. _'He's doing what I did then by practicing in the desert. Well, only on way to find out!'_

She told herself she was either crazy or foolish, but kept walking towards the cloud of dust at a good pace. She paused a few time when the thought of bandits or it be a caravan crossed her mind, but as Alai drew closer and closer, she could make out burst of sand from something sending it flying up into the air and flashes of light that probably could have been the glimmers she'd seen.

She stopped dead in her tracks when a great something burst from the cloud of sand. The great ka, for she knew it was, had the face of what looked to be a man with a headress that flared out on both sides and a horn at the top. It's chest was powerful and the muscles on both it's arms and even it's chest rippled with strength. On the back were two powerful wings. She shuddered and stepped back when it'd flown high enough to reveal its bottom half formed that of a snake's body and head. As the snake head lashed out randomly and hissed, the thing held it's arms out and formed a bright ball of energy and shoot it at the ground, making the earth rumble a little.

She stepped back a bit further and then froze when it's face turned towards her and then pointed in her direction. As the dust settled, it swooped down and grabbed something, then took to the sky and flew in Alai's direction. Yelling, she spun and ran at full speed towards the trees, praying to the gods to protect her and help carry her to the safty of her cave.

She began to panic as the beast gained on her faster and faster, making her feel safty was out of the question. She heard it's wings flap powerfully and the moon's light was blocked by it as it swooped over her, casting a shadow on the figure that had to be Bakura lept from it's hands and run after her. The thief girl ran even harder as she heard the heavy footfalls behind her, panicking as to what would happen to her if he caught her.

Arms garbed in red wrapped around Alai's stomach and pulled her to the ground. Disoriented, she kicked and scrambled to get out from under the Thief King as she felt him pinning her with his body, yelling and spitting at him.

Trying to hush her, he sh'ed and said, "Alai, shut up! Dammit shut up!" pinning her arms to the sides. When she didn't stop he covered her mouth with his.

...

He nearly had a heart attack when he say Alai and quickly jumpped into Diabound's hands. He ordered his ka to fly him to her as fast as possible, wanting to catch her before she told her sister or did something crazy. He covered most of his face with his coat sleeve to protect it from the rushing wind as they flew, watching the quick woman's figure grow larger and larger untill they were just above her.

"Down!" he yelled, and clung to Diabound's great hands as the air wooshed passed his body. The second Diabound reached close enough for Bakura to leep and not kill himself, he did and stumbled. Recovering quickly, he set after Alai, fresh and energized compared to the woman he chased who had been running already. Within what felt like seconds, he caught up to her and tackled her down, clutching her to his own body to cushion the fall for her. He didn't want to hurt her, just keep her calm, but she started yelling and fighting him a second after they hit the ground.

"Alai, shut up!" he yelled, pinning down her arms and feeling himself grow in excitement from her lithe body thrashing around under him. "Dammit shut up!" She didn't and spit at him, getting him in the face. He realized she wouldn't stop and figured it was the only way, so he covered her mouth with his. She froze in shock then fought even harder against him, making his urges almost unbearable. He parted her mouth forcefully with his tongue and began methodically kissing her, using every trick her knew with his tongue to at least seduce her into silence. She bit down on him and he made a loud pained noise, but brought her hands above her head and crossed them at the wrist, pinning them down with one arm and running the free one along her side after wiping the spittle off of his cheek.

Bakura felt her shiver and her defences dropping as her body relaxed and practically melted against his. He began to kiss her a little softer than before, nearly jumping when Alai's tongue met his in a curious, almost secretive way and felt his whole body respond to that touch with a burning desire he longed to satiate. He let go of her arms to clutch her suddenly relaxed body to him as he instructed her obviously inexpirienced kissing without saying a word. He could feel himself loosing his mind as she wrapped her arms around his neck, placing her hands on his back, urging him to keep going. She was enjoying it and that fueled his passion even more.

He rolled her over so she lay ontop of him, kissing her deeply and with increasing urgency, stroking her bare back and sides. The young woman placed her hands on his chest and straddled his middle, making soft, feminine noises that made the Thief King moan into the kiss. He dragged his fingers up her spine and slipped them under the cloth around her back, cursing in his head at the knot being tied in the front. She broke the kiss suddenly, and panted over his mouth, with her eyes half-closed and her face colored slightly. He couldn't help but smirk.

"Like I said that day," he whispered, kissing her again, making her shudder in pleasure. "Coming on to me are we?" Sparks danced in front of his vision and it took him a second to realize she'd slapped him. She stood up and spit on his face again, scrubbing her mouth and tearing up.

"You bastard!" she yelled at him. "You bastard! You stole my first kiss!" She took off running, holding a hand to her mouth as he sat up. Her senses must have come back to her after his comment.

As she ran off, he muttered, "That's why I'm the King of Thieves, you stupid bitch..." He jumpped up and followed after her, only to eventually find the damn bolder covering the entrance and he couldn't remember where those stupid hand holds were...

...

Alai refused to speak to Bakura at all and pretended he didn't even exist. She couldn't stop hating herself for letting the filthy, impolite, self-centered bastard kiss her and take her first kiss. Everytime she looked at him, her mind instantly took her back to that feeling in her stomach of wanting him to do things to her and letting him take advantage of her like that. She denied it over and over in her head, but she felt dirty for knowing she really wanted it.

Sheba noticed quickly the tension in her sister the second Alai returned that night flustered, angry and crying, but said nothing, easing her sister a little. Alai couldn't have been more greatful for her sister knowing not to say anything and promised her sister "out of no where" to find her something nice a reasonable price of free, Sheba's pick.

"Alai," Sheba said, hugging her sister, "it's ok. I understand I'm that amazing and all, but I can get it myself if I want something."

The silence between the girls and the Theif King lasted a week. They went about their business in the city seperately, picking pockets, stealing from stands and taking it back to their hideout. It was almost as if the other or others didn't live in the same place by the way they acted towards each other. Alai figured this suited Sheba well, having not really taken a liking to him to begin with. Keeping that thought her mind helpped Alai smile a bit. It wasn't until the stash of trinkets and such piled up that Alai realized they were going to half to get it on the black market soon, which meant a trip to Grandmother Woserit. Problem was, they needed help getting the loot to her since Alai couldn't ride a horse on her own. They needed Bakura.

The next night, Bakura went outside as he had for the whole week to make a camp fire and wait until the women went to sleep. Alai paced the room, trying to swallow her pride into going and asking him. Sheba watched her intently.

"Alai, it's ok, it's not that hard," her sister said. Alai sighed and ran her hand through her hair.

"I know, I know! It's just..." she said, letting it drift off.

"You're still pissed about whatever he did."

Alai nodded and muttered, "Yeah, that..." She took two steps towards the opening, turned around and walked towards her room. She stopped in front of the curtain and turned to head back towards the door. Back and forth, over and over, she did this until Sheba threw the waterskin sitting next to her at Alai.

"Just go talk to him!" she commanded.

"Why" Alai whined, "can't you? I can't stand him right now!" Sheba put her palm to her forehead and looked to the ceiling.

"Because he's an annoying idiot. Now get your ass out their and talk to him like an adult instead of the silly little child you're acting like!"

"Fine!" Alai stormed out of the cave and looked for Bakura. She saw a small, flickering fire across the oasis, and Bakura was leaning against a tree, drawing into the sand with his daggar. She took a deep breath and released to calm her sudden nervousness. She didn't want to face him and her mind kept drifting back to the memory of his hands wandering on her back.

She shook her head and walked around the water heading towards him. As she came closer, he glanced up and twitched in surprise, swiping the picture in the sand gone. She stood across from him, the fire between the two, with her arms crossed and her face set. She couldn't help but notice he only returned her gaze with cool indifference and maybe even smug authority. It pissed her off to no end.

"Look," she said, blushing as he leaned back more, his hands behind his head on the tree, "Sheba and I need you to bring half of the loot to the city tomorrow. We're putting it on the black market through a reliable source." He raised a snowy brow and tilted his head slightly.

"Can't take the horses yourself, girl?" he snidely commented, smirking. Alai felt her face growing hot.

"Quit the bullshit! Look, Bakura, you going to help us or not?" she said, tossing her hair haughtily. His smirk grew.

"I guess the Great King of Thieves could help you..." he started, but Alai heard what she wanted and started walking away. "Hey!" he yelled.

"Be up at dawn!"

...

She grimmanced and felt relieved at the site of him ready to go when Alai and Sheba were coming out of the cave with the load. He looked tired and had circles under his eyes and a dark cloud seemed to be following him. She grinned wickedly at her chance to torment him. Setting down her bag at the entrance, she waved sweetly.

"Good morning, O' Great Theif King!" she giggled sweet. He grunted and climbed onto Elill's back.

Setting hers down aswell, Sheba yelled, "Hey! Get your lazy ass over hear and help us with these bags!" He muttered something in a different language, then yelled when a golden goblet hit the back of his head. "Now!" The two women sniggered and enjoyed watching him tye up the bags to the horses. They mounted onto Kamen as Bakura mounted Ellil and turned them in the direction of the city and nudged them into a gallop.

Both the girls wore similar outfits again; Alai in a blue length of fabric that draped over her shoulders in two halves, one going down her front and the other down her back, held to her by strong cords wrapped and tied around her, and Sheba in an identical red one with the attached headwrap pulled up. Both girls wore thick kohl around their eyes. Bakura left his favored red coat and wore a pair of cream colored Persian pants and a maroon sash holding a scimitar. He wrapped fabric over his eye and most of his cheek to conceal the double crossed line enough to only reveal a small bit of it. Two leather bracers and a red and gold vest added to his look.

Just before they reached the city, Alai grudgingly climbed onto Elill and wrapped her arms around Bakura's middle to keep the agreed charade of being a family. As they passed through the gates, he stroked Alai's arms lovingly and leaned back as if to whisper something loving to her.

What she got instead was: "You're still enjoying herself." Sheba rode behind Alai and Bakura to make it look as if he led, but Alai whispered the directions to Grandmother Woserit's inn. Passing through the bazaar, Alai's suffering was prolonged by merchants and stall owners yelling out special disscounts for the lovely family or the loving couple. She pressed her face into his back and groaned as he shook with a deep chuckle.

Within half an hour, they manuvered through the crouds and were hoping off the horses to hand them over to the stable boy Rami. Sheba took the reins of Kamenwati and Elill instead.

"I think I can handle them for you, Rami," she said, making him blush a little as the went into the stable. Alai bit back a grin at how well her sister had him wrapped around her finger. Bakura grabbed both bags and hefted them onto his shoulders, letting Alai lead them inside. She pulled up her hood as they stepped in, not wanting to draw attention to her looks. The barkeep nodded to them as the passed, going into the back room.

Alai was shocked to see Woserit looking the way she did. She'd let her hair down around her face, looking as though she didn't comb it that morning. She was looking out a window on a high chair looking as though she longed to walk around outside. She had a shawl wrapped around her shoulders and over all, the woman looked frail and sickly. When the door creaked, the old woman turned and looked at the two with sunken eyes and a waxy skin. Her smile was weak, but sincere.

"Alai, dear, it's good to see you," she said, nearly whispering. She coughed lightly into her hand.

"And you too, Grandmother, but what ails you?" Alai asked concerned, stepping closer and drawing back her hood. The aged mystic opened her mouth to say something witty, but it died in her throat the second she glimpsed Bakura, who set the bags on the ground and shut the door. Raising a bony and sickly hand, she pointed at him and whispered, "Remove that false bandage, young man." Her voice made Bakura jump with it's strange dual sound, the sign she was using her power to see his true self. He cursed lightly in that other language again and removed it. Grandmother Woserit's eyes widened in shock and she held her chin up higher.

"What are you doing here," she said, "Bakura, self-proclaimed King of Theives?" Bakura crossed his arms, still gripping the fabric.

"I find it profitable to be partnered with Alai and her sister Sheba," he said flatly. Something passed between the tow of them that Alai missed. Woserit closed her eyes and breathed deeply. A few moments passed in silence, the only noise coming from the window itself. When the old woman opened her eyes, some of her health seemed to return and she smiled very radiantly and nodded to Bakura.

"You will get what you seek, Theif King," she said, her smile secretive. "But are you so sure you know what you desire?" He uncrossed his arms and let them hang at his sides. He nodded, but hardened his face. Alai smiled to herself; Grandmother Woserit broke through the mental barriers of Bakura and it bothered him.

"Yes, I do know."

...

Author: That's that for this chapter! Hope you found it entertaining! I told you guys it was rated Mature for a reason and that's only a tip of what's to come. Well, keep a look out for more chapters. OH! Before I forget, thank you to those of you who have been supporting this story so far in it's fledgling stage. It means a lot to hear your support! Thank you again! 3


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